Around this time of year, I always seem to get a bit anxious for the school year to be over. Since we are trained to expect the end of the school year at the end of April in university, these last two months of teaching are always the hardest for me. Both TJ and I are definitely having trouble getting excited for work lately.
Although we only have two months left, they seem never ending right now. However, we do have several things to look forward to! This weekend we will be hiking in a nearby national park. In two weeks we have a tournament. In three weeks we are having a girls weekend in Copan, and then for my birthday weekend we are traveling with a few friends to a lake about an hour away.
After that we both get to go home for Jessica's wedding. We are both really excited for this!
But most of all, we are looking forward to going home for the summer.... 7 weeks of laying by the pool, relaxing and visiting friends and family.
Can't wait to see everyone.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Costa Rica Vacation!
On Sunday we arrived home from our first international vacation in Central America. We have travelled a lot around Honduras, but this was the first other country we have travelled to so far this year ( if you don't count airport stopovers!)
We flew from San Pedro Sula on the Saturday of our spring break (here they call it Semana Santa... Translating into Holy Week). We flew straight into Costa Rica which was great, however, TACA, also known as Take A Chance Airlines, left all of our luggage in Honduras because the plane was too heavy. Although they informed us it would be sent to our hotel that night, we didn't see our bags for three days. Luckily, our friends lent us a lot of clothes (Thanks Ash and Chris!).
After we got into San Jose, we had to take a regional flight. It was pretty shocking when we first saw our plane...called ti-box. It didn't look much bigger or sturdier than its name sake. After a tense flight for TJ with only 7 of us on board, we landed in what appeared to be a farmer's field. The cows did not seemed too alarmed.
After a typical Central American drive (fast, bump and slightly disorganized) we made it to our house rentals in Playa Santa Theresa. This area is a small surf town with lots of restaurants and shops, and we were only about 50 metres from the beach. At the house that night we met up with our friends from home, Chris and Ash, and Mark and Kelsey's friends from Philadelphia. There were 17 of us in total!
At the beach we got to hang out by the pool, play in the HUGE waves, and even try surfing. TJ and Chris picked it up pretty quickly... I was slightly less coordinated.
One day, we took a shuttle to Montezuma, and hiked up to a series of awesome waterfalls. They were really beautiful and had some gun cliffs to jump off. The hike was a little treacherous, but the destination was worth it.
Another day we took a boat ride to Tortuga Island. Although we didn't actually see any turtles, which was the draw, the beach was beautiful and on the boat ride we saw a humpback whale and two dolphins!
In addition to great days at the beach and day trips, we also had some pretty awesome nights. One night we found a karaoke bar and brought the party there. Our personal favourite was a bar called Coco Loco, where we went to a full moon party. Lots of neon, dancing and tequila.
After four days in Santa Theresa, we rented two cars and started our drive across the country. We were sad to say goodbye to the beach, and to our new Phily friends, but also excited for our first driving adventure in Central America. The beginning of the drive was really dusty and bumpy, but very beautiful. After a while we hit save nice paved roads.
It took us about 6 hours to drive to Arenal Volcano. We drove around the lake, which was also really beautiful. We got to our hostel to find that it was just as great as our houses at the beach, and quite a bit cooler. At some points, I was actually wearing my sweatshirt.
We got up early the next morning to hike one of the Volcanos. We hiked up Cerre Chato in the fog and the rain. There was a crater lake at the top of the Volcano, but by the time we got up, we were too cold to go swimming. TJ did go for a quick dip though. Although there wasn't a great view from the top, it was pretty cool to get all the way up what was one of the more challenging hikes I have done. It was also our first time in the rainforest, and it was definitely rainy.
In the afternoon we went to the Balti Hotsprings. They were a little more commercialized than we had thought, and packed with families and kids on spring break. We still had a great afternoon relaxing and a good free dinner.
On our last day in La Fortuna, we had even more adventure. In the morning we went to the Venada Caves to go cave exploring. Although we didn't have high hopes for this, it was one of the coolest things we did on our trip. We walked about 600 m around the caves, which included walking, crawling, swimming, going under waterfalls, and squirming through one particularly small hole called the birth canal. My favourite part was all the adorable little bats!
If the caves weren't enough adventure, we went zip lining in the afternoon. It was some of the best I've ever done. The longest cable was almost a kilometre and over 120 metres high. We went up into the canopy, saw a waterfall and saw some traditional Costa Rican culture. It was definitely a day of adventure.
The next day we had to leave early to get to the airport in San Jose. We drove through the edge of the cloud forest, where it was so cloudy we could barely see the car in front of us. We got there and dropped the cars off. It was a bit depressing not to be able to drive anymore, it is definitely something that we miss, living here in San Pedro.
We caught our flights in the evening and were back in Honduras by 9:00. We were all sad to have it end, but it was a once in a lifetime vacation with great friends and adventures.
We flew from San Pedro Sula on the Saturday of our spring break (here they call it Semana Santa... Translating into Holy Week). We flew straight into Costa Rica which was great, however, TACA, also known as Take A Chance Airlines, left all of our luggage in Honduras because the plane was too heavy. Although they informed us it would be sent to our hotel that night, we didn't see our bags for three days. Luckily, our friends lent us a lot of clothes (Thanks Ash and Chris!).
After we got into San Jose, we had to take a regional flight. It was pretty shocking when we first saw our plane...called ti-box. It didn't look much bigger or sturdier than its name sake. After a tense flight for TJ with only 7 of us on board, we landed in what appeared to be a farmer's field. The cows did not seemed too alarmed.
After a typical Central American drive (fast, bump and slightly disorganized) we made it to our house rentals in Playa Santa Theresa. This area is a small surf town with lots of restaurants and shops, and we were only about 50 metres from the beach. At the house that night we met up with our friends from home, Chris and Ash, and Mark and Kelsey's friends from Philadelphia. There were 17 of us in total!
At the beach we got to hang out by the pool, play in the HUGE waves, and even try surfing. TJ and Chris picked it up pretty quickly... I was slightly less coordinated.
One day, we took a shuttle to Montezuma, and hiked up to a series of awesome waterfalls. They were really beautiful and had some gun cliffs to jump off. The hike was a little treacherous, but the destination was worth it.
Another day we took a boat ride to Tortuga Island. Although we didn't actually see any turtles, which was the draw, the beach was beautiful and on the boat ride we saw a humpback whale and two dolphins!
In addition to great days at the beach and day trips, we also had some pretty awesome nights. One night we found a karaoke bar and brought the party there. Our personal favourite was a bar called Coco Loco, where we went to a full moon party. Lots of neon, dancing and tequila.
After four days in Santa Theresa, we rented two cars and started our drive across the country. We were sad to say goodbye to the beach, and to our new Phily friends, but also excited for our first driving adventure in Central America. The beginning of the drive was really dusty and bumpy, but very beautiful. After a while we hit save nice paved roads.
It took us about 6 hours to drive to Arenal Volcano. We drove around the lake, which was also really beautiful. We got to our hostel to find that it was just as great as our houses at the beach, and quite a bit cooler. At some points, I was actually wearing my sweatshirt.
We got up early the next morning to hike one of the Volcanos. We hiked up Cerre Chato in the fog and the rain. There was a crater lake at the top of the Volcano, but by the time we got up, we were too cold to go swimming. TJ did go for a quick dip though. Although there wasn't a great view from the top, it was pretty cool to get all the way up what was one of the more challenging hikes I have done. It was also our first time in the rainforest, and it was definitely rainy.
In the afternoon we went to the Balti Hotsprings. They were a little more commercialized than we had thought, and packed with families and kids on spring break. We still had a great afternoon relaxing and a good free dinner.
On our last day in La Fortuna, we had even more adventure. In the morning we went to the Venada Caves to go cave exploring. Although we didn't have high hopes for this, it was one of the coolest things we did on our trip. We walked about 600 m around the caves, which included walking, crawling, swimming, going under waterfalls, and squirming through one particularly small hole called the birth canal. My favourite part was all the adorable little bats!
If the caves weren't enough adventure, we went zip lining in the afternoon. It was some of the best I've ever done. The longest cable was almost a kilometre and over 120 metres high. We went up into the canopy, saw a waterfall and saw some traditional Costa Rican culture. It was definitely a day of adventure.
The next day we had to leave early to get to the airport in San Jose. We drove through the edge of the cloud forest, where it was so cloudy we could barely see the car in front of us. We got there and dropped the cars off. It was a bit depressing not to be able to drive anymore, it is definitely something that we miss, living here in San Pedro.
We caught our flights in the evening and were back in Honduras by 9:00. We were all sad to have it end, but it was a once in a lifetime vacation with great friends and adventures.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Exams
This week is the last week of our third term. The kids all have exams so they are busy studying. We still have a week and a half until our spring break. We are going to Costa Rica for 10 days, which we are very excited about. However, we are both getting pretty tired and burnt out at this point in the year. There are only ten weeks left until summer, but it still seems a long way away.
We are already getting excited to come home and see our friends and family. Our plane is booked for June 15th, so we will have about 6 weeks at home. Only 14 weeks!
We are already getting excited to come home and see our friends and family. Our plane is booked for June 15th, so we will have about 6 weeks at home. Only 14 weeks!
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Goodbye to a Good Friend
Today we had to say goodbye to Brit. Even though we were far away here in Honduras, we got to say a special goodbye to our friend, and first pet. I think it is safe to say that Brit was not your usual pet.... Between her snappy jaw and leaky bladder, she always kept us on our toes. But in the end, I know that she added just as much to our life, as we added to hers.
Everyone that knew Brit knew she was a special girl. Although we only got Brit when she was 13, she was able to carve out a special place in people's hearts through her quirky, grumpy old lady antics.
We couldn't be with Brit in the last couple months, but we were so happy to get to spend Christmas with her. She was living a wonderful life at her "retirement home" with my parents. We could not be more appreciative of my mom, dad and Zach (and even max and story), for making her final weeks a happy time, surrounded by people she loved.
Its a sad day today, but we know she had a good few years, and is somewhere with endless supplies of water and squirrels.
Brittany, Brit, Squishy face, princess puppy pants, fluffy dog, Pretty Britty, good dog. We will miss you, we will love you forever.
Everyone that knew Brit knew she was a special girl. Although we only got Brit when she was 13, she was able to carve out a special place in people's hearts through her quirky, grumpy old lady antics.
We couldn't be with Brit in the last couple months, but we were so happy to get to spend Christmas with her. She was living a wonderful life at her "retirement home" with my parents. We could not be more appreciative of my mom, dad and Zach (and even max and story), for making her final weeks a happy time, surrounded by people she loved.
Its a sad day today, but we know she had a good few years, and is somewhere with endless supplies of water and squirrels.
Brittany, Brit, Squishy face, princess puppy pants, fluffy dog, Pretty Britty, good dog. We will miss you, we will love you forever.
Friday, January 25, 2013
January in Honduras
Almost done January in Honduras.... It has been a very long month. Coming back from canada was nice to escape the cold... But coming back to work has been a challenge. While TJs grade eights seem to be improving, my grade sixes are no longer afraid of me, which has been very tiring.
We haven't been able to get out of the city yet, but we are looking forward to a scuba trip in February. We have a big group of us going to scuba dive, and it will be the first time since our first time back since our course. Both of us are excited to try our new masks!
We are also looking forward to our spring break trip with Chris and Ashley in Costa Rica!!!
We have also booked our plane tickets home for Jessica's wedding in may, and lucky for us, our principal gave us a whole week off! Can't wait for that! ( Despite the crazy expense......)
Many of our friends are also gone in the. Next few weeks to different job fairs, to find a new job for next year. It's a little sad to think that soon we will know for sure that so many of of friends are leaving us. But it's also exciting to have new friends to visit around the world!
Until next time!
!
We haven't been able to get out of the city yet, but we are looking forward to a scuba trip in February. We have a big group of us going to scuba dive, and it will be the first time since our first time back since our course. Both of us are excited to try our new masks!
We are also looking forward to our spring break trip with Chris and Ashley in Costa Rica!!!
We have also booked our plane tickets home for Jessica's wedding in may, and lucky for us, our principal gave us a whole week off! Can't wait for that! ( Despite the crazy expense......)
Many of our friends are also gone in the. Next few weeks to different job fairs, to find a new job for next year. It's a little sad to think that soon we will know for sure that so many of of friends are leaving us. But it's also exciting to have new friends to visit around the world!
Until next time!
!
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Christmas in Canada
After our trip around Honduras, we got on our plane for the first of three flights… totalling 14 hours. the crazy part is, the flying time between Honduras and Canada is only about 5.5 hours, but because there are no direct flights to Honduras, it takes a while.
We flew overnight, so we did get to sleep on the planes, and in the airport quite a bit. Despite a near connection miss in Toronto, we got into Ottawa in the morning of the 23rd. Welcoming us home was about 15 cm of snow. As Canadians, this was nothing new for us, although TJ did leave the airport wearing flip-flops. Thanks to Mom and Dad for picking us up!
We had a really great Christmas in Canada, and were so happy that we got to see so many people that we love. Lots of great food… which may not be for the best, since we have to be in bathing suits on a weekly basis here.
We especially enjoyed seeing the whole Hamel family is Lara's baptism in Gananoque, and having Jessica's bachelorette party in Ottawa (and Mark's "unofficial bachelor party"…..).
It was really busy for most of the visit, but we did have some time to relax the last couple days and see our brothers' new houses.
We were really happy to get to see so many of our closest friends at New Year's. (Thanks for coming Clay and Sarah, Jess and Mark, and Ash and Chris!!!)
We had to leave on the 5th, which was a little bit sad, since we had such a nice time relaxing at home and hanging out with Brit! (despite being FREEZING 90% of the time). Even Story was sad to see us go.
We flew overnight, so we did get to sleep on the planes, and in the airport quite a bit. Despite a near connection miss in Toronto, we got into Ottawa in the morning of the 23rd. Welcoming us home was about 15 cm of snow. As Canadians, this was nothing new for us, although TJ did leave the airport wearing flip-flops. Thanks to Mom and Dad for picking us up!
We had a really great Christmas in Canada, and were so happy that we got to see so many people that we love. Lots of great food… which may not be for the best, since we have to be in bathing suits on a weekly basis here.
We especially enjoyed seeing the whole Hamel family is Lara's baptism in Gananoque, and having Jessica's bachelorette party in Ottawa (and Mark's "unofficial bachelor party"…..).
It was really busy for most of the visit, but we did have some time to relax the last couple days and see our brothers' new houses.
We were really happy to get to see so many of our closest friends at New Year's. (Thanks for coming Clay and Sarah, Jess and Mark, and Ash and Chris!!!)
We had to leave on the 5th, which was a little bit sad, since we had such a nice time relaxing at home and hanging out with Brit! (despite being FREEZING 90% of the time). Even Story was sad to see us go.
Thanks for an amazing break, and making time to see us! We miss you all very much… see you in May or June!
Christmas Break in Honduras
As we had three weeks this year for Christmas break, we decided to spend a week in Honduras to do some travelling and relaxing before we head home to Canada for the remaining two weeks.
First, we went to Utila do do our SCUBA certification. We stayed for 4 days at Alton's Dive Centre, which was really great. WE did the course in 3 days, and had some pretty cool dives. Our favourite siting was a 4 foot Baracuda! I wasn't sure if diving was for me when I first started, but after doing it, it is one of the coolest things I have ever. I am a big advocate for trying it!
After Utila, we drove across the country in a van, rented by some of our friends. We drove to Copan for the End of the World Celebration, on Dec. 21, 2012. This was TJ's first time in Copan, and we had a great time. There were so many people there, the entire town was booked up. We met a friend in Utila who travelled with us, and she needed to share a hostel room with us because she couldn't find anywhere to stay.
The whole town was crazy all week. We went to the town square for celebrations, free food, and cultural celebrations.
We also went to the bird park, Macaw Mountain, to see tons of tropical birds and even hold some big Macaws.
Best of all, we went to the Mayan Ruins at night on the 21st. It was the first time in the history of the park that people were allowed in after dark. The main plaza was light up with tiki torches and some flood lights and we wandered around the ruins in the dark. Obviously the world didn't end, and the aliens never showed, but it was really cool to be in such an old place on a date that they predicted would be impactful.
After Copan, we drove back to San Pedro Sula to catch a late night flight to go back home. It was a great vacation, with some amazing experiences, and we were ready to go home and see friends and family for Christmas.
First, we went to Utila do do our SCUBA certification. We stayed for 4 days at Alton's Dive Centre, which was really great. WE did the course in 3 days, and had some pretty cool dives. Our favourite siting was a 4 foot Baracuda! I wasn't sure if diving was for me when I first started, but after doing it, it is one of the coolest things I have ever. I am a big advocate for trying it!
After Utila, we drove across the country in a van, rented by some of our friends. We drove to Copan for the End of the World Celebration, on Dec. 21, 2012. This was TJ's first time in Copan, and we had a great time. There were so many people there, the entire town was booked up. We met a friend in Utila who travelled with us, and she needed to share a hostel room with us because she couldn't find anywhere to stay.
The whole town was crazy all week. We went to the town square for celebrations, free food, and cultural celebrations.
We also went to the bird park, Macaw Mountain, to see tons of tropical birds and even hold some big Macaws.
Best of all, we went to the Mayan Ruins at night on the 21st. It was the first time in the history of the park that people were allowed in after dark. The main plaza was light up with tiki torches and some flood lights and we wandered around the ruins in the dark. Obviously the world didn't end, and the aliens never showed, but it was really cool to be in such an old place on a date that they predicted would be impactful.
After Copan, we drove back to San Pedro Sula to catch a late night flight to go back home. It was a great vacation, with some amazing experiences, and we were ready to go home and see friends and family for Christmas.
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